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UNITED STATES. FOOD ADMINISTRATION 



TX 373 
.U6 
1918 
Copy 1 



D. C. 



AUGUST, 1918 




Economies in Handling Meat 

Report of Butchers and Meat Dealers 
Economy Committee 



The United States Food Administration herewith presents 
the report of the Butchers and Meat Dealers Economy Com- 
mittee, which was called together to consider ways and means 
of improving the methods now employed in slaughtering, 
dressing, and sale of meat. 

This committee was composed of the following members: 

JOHN A. KOTAL, Chairman 

Secretary United Butchers' Associatton of America 
Chicago, III. 

J. P. HETZLER 

Meat Butcher and Dealer, Columbia, Mo. 

FRED J. SINCLAIR 

Proprietor Butchers and Stock Growers Journal 
San Francisco, Cal. 

JACOB MAYERS 

President and Treasurer Butchers Advocate 
New York City, N. Y. 

M. R. SCOTT 
Meat Butcher and Dealer, Lynchburg, Va. 

CHARLES GRISMER 

National President United Master Butchers' Association 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 

ROY COHEN 

President National Market Co., Orange, N. J. 

}</J2^^ ^^ J. A. WHITFIELD 

Piesident Old Dutch Market Co., Washington, D. C. 






Messrs. J. A. Whitfield and Roy Cohen were appointed by the full 
committee as a subcommittee to draw up the report, which follows 



WASHINOTON :OOVERNMENT PRINTINQ OFFICE : Itll 






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REPORT OF THE BUTCHERS' AND MEAT DEALERS' 
ECONOMY COMMITTEE. 



Washin(5ton, D. C, April, 1918. 
The following are recommendations submitted by this committee : 

1. A. — Remove loose fats from dressed beef carcass at place 

of slaughter. 

It is recommended that a carcass of beef dressed for commercial 
use shall have all heart fat, crotch fat, lumbar fat, and other loose 
fats, including kidney and kidney fat, in addition to the semiloose 
fats removed at place of slaughter ; also that piece of lean meat knoAvn 
as the hanging tenderloin. 

B. — Remove caul and plucks from, sheep, lam.bs, and goats. 

All sheep, lambs, and goats should be dressed round, all caul 
removed, all plucks removed at place of slaughter, and no backsticks 
should be used. This should constitute dressing for commercial 
use. 

C. — Remove all caul and loose and semiloose fats from 
calves. 

It is recommended that all caul, all loose and semiloose fats be re- 
moved from calves at place of slaughter. This should constitute com- 
mercial dressed veal. 

2. Utilize more fully edible offal. 

It is recommended that local slaughterers be urged to save and 
utilize all edible offal for edible purposes and to encourage greater 
consmnption thereof. Also that they install such sanitary equip- 
ment and employ such improved sanitary methods as to ol)tain niaxi- 
nnim yields in these products. 

3. Exercise greater care in the removal of hides. 

It is recommended that the butcher exercise greater care in the 
removal of hides; edible meat left on the hide is wasted and in putri- 
fying eats Ijoles in the hide. In order to obtain highest commercial 
value the butcher must avoid cutting and preserve the hide effec- 
tively. 

77268—18 (3) 






4. Discourage feeding- immediately before slaughter. 

It is recommended that butchers discourage the practice of feed- 
ing stock before shiughter, in order that the large amount of feed 
which is now wasted in this manner may be saved. Sellers make a 
practice of giving stock, especially hogs, a heavy feed immediately 
before delivery to slaughter. This practice, in addition to wast- 
ing feed, impairs the quality of the meat as well as the value of 
the by-products. It is thought that definite results can be obtained 
in this connection through a better understanding between buyer 
and seller. 

5. Establish municipal and cooperative abattoirs. 

It is recommended that municipal or cooperative abbattoirs be 
established in every community. They will encourage local cattle 
production. They will enable the butcher and small slaughterer 
to utilize more efficiently and encourage the manufacture of by- 
products. 

G. Promote the manufacture and sale of blood sausage. 

It is recommended that retail dealers further the sale of blood 
sausage, as suggested by the packers' economy committee. We urge 
the Food Administration to cooperate by advising the eating of this 
product and by giving it a more attractive name. 

7. Keep records and conduct killing tests. 

It is recommended that local slaughterers be urged to keep records 
and conduct killing tests in order to know exactly the cost of their 
dressed product. It is suggested that the Food Administration 
obtain from the Department of Agriculture suitable guide and test 
sheets to aid in the above for general distribution among slaughter- 
ers, through the agency of its nation-wide organization. 

8. Retail dealers should make cutting tests. 

It is recommended that the retail meat dealer be urged to make 
cutting tests and figure costs of cuts. To help this further, it is rec- 
ommended that the Food Administration prepare simple test sheets 
and guides, so arranged that the retailer Avill knoAv what proportion 
of cost each cut of meat should bear from a carcass purchased at a 
given price, these guides to be distributed by Federal Food Adminis- 
trators and wholesalers throughout the country. In this distribution 
the leading trades papers may be of great assistance. 

9. Determine cost of each item of service, so that dealers may 

be able intelligently to eliminate unnecessary items. 

It is recommended that the Food Administration prepare a chart 
Avhich will teach the retailer how to detei-mine the fixed charges in 



the operation of his business— i. e., rent, light, wages, del i very, 
credit, etc. This will familiarize him greatly with his busmess and 
enable him to determine the cost of each item of service and to ehmi- 
nate such as are necessary. 

10. Keep books and accounts. 

It is recommended that all retail dealers be urged to adopt a 
simple accounting system. As over 50 per cent of the dealers have 
no accounting system at all, we urge that the Food Administration 
give this fact wide publicity, as it would indicate to retailers the 
importance of the use of a system. 

11. Charge for fat, suet, and bones. 

It is recommended that the practice of giving away fat, suet, and 
bones be discontinued, and these products sold at fair prices. 
Should this be accomplished, the price of edible meat to the con- 
sumer can be somewhat reduced. It is further recommended that 
the retailer properly care for his offal products by proper sorting 
so that the highest commercial value may be obtained therefrom. 

19. A.— Adopt net weight law for meats in containers of 
paper, etc. 

It is recommended that all ham, bacon, and other wrapped meat 
commodities for which paper and other wrappers are used be classed 
as package goods and be made subject to a net-weight law. The ex- 
cessive use of paper in wrapping hams and bacon, dried beef, etc is 
a, waste of wrapping material and labor and a needles.s expense to the 
consumer. For example : A piece of fancy bacon weighing U, pounds 
wrapped, sold at 45 cents per pound wholesale, contained o^ ounces 
of wrapping paper and twine. In this instance the wrapping paper 
was a net loss, as it served no purpose in the protection of the meat, 
merely adding over ?. cents per pound to the price paid. 
B —Adopt net weight sale of poultry and pork and other 
food products in boxes, barrels, and other containers. 
It is recommended that all boxed or barreled poultry, pork, or 
other food products be sold at net weight. Paying for paper, etc.. at 
the price of food products to-day does not seem ]ustihable 
13. Reduce prices and encourage sale of articles in abundant 
supply. 
It is recommended that retail dealers discontinue the practice ot 
inflexible prices. Prices of perishable foods should be changed 
promptly* to conform with market conditions. This method will give 
the public the benefit of low prices during the periods ot abundant 
supply and prevent quantities of perishable foods from going to 



Avaste. 



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14. Effect conservation through skillful display and sales- 

manship. 

It is recommended; where certain commodities threaten to go to 
waste through lack of demand that skillful display and salesmanship 
be employed more extensively. To display any article which is not 
selling readily at a specific time Avill help prevent its wastage. 

15. Protect foods properly and thereby conserve large amounts 

now wasted. 

It is recommended that the Food Administration urge the retail 
dealers of the country, individually and through their organizations, 
to give strict attention to proper care of perishable foods. In retail 
stores and in public markets generally sanitary equipment would 
result in large savings by the elimination of shrinkage, retrimming, 
and spoilage. 

16. Join or form an organization. 

It is recommended that retail butchers throughout the countiy join 
or form organizations which will enable them to exchange views. 
This would be of great value in furthering conservation and would 
help them materiall}^ toward a more economical handling of their 
business. 

17. It is recommended that railroad ownership of refriger- 

ator meat cars replace present private ownership by the 
packers. 

It is recommended that the Food Administration place before the 
l)rof)er authorities the importance of railroad ownership of refriger- 
ator meat cars. At present they are owned by the large packers, 
who can thus absolutely control the shipping facilities of the small 
slaughterer. Railroads having no equipment of their own can not 
move fresh meats. The result is that such cities as Boston, New 
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and ^yashington. and many others, 
receive fresh meats only from the big packers, excepting the small 
supply from the local abbatoir. We can not too strongly urge the 
Food Administration to help place the small slaughterer in the same 
position to get refrigerator cars as the large packers. This can only 
be accomplished by having meat refrigerator cars owned by the 
railroads. 

18. Give proper terminal service to live-stock shippers and 

small packer buyers. 

It is reconmiended that the railroads be re(|uired to own and 
operate live-stock freight terminals, commonly known as stockyards: 



^ 



UiTit the shipper and receiver of such freight be allowed a reasonable 
free service at the terminal before yardage charges begin. The 
present arrangement of packer ownership of live-stock railroad ter- 
minals and stockyards, whereby they get a rake-off ftom the shipper 
on each carload of stock shipped in and from the independent packer 
on each carload shipped out, should be terminated. The yardage 
and trackage charges of this kind result in just that much added, 
and in fact unfair, business advantage in favor of the big packer 
in his competition with the scattered slaughterer. Live-stock ship- 
pers should get the same consideration from the railroads that is 
given to shippers of all other classes of freight. 

19. Attention is called to the vast amount of idle and unused 
land, particularly near the large eastern centers of 
population. 

Food W'ill win the war. Not only must we conserve in every pos- 
sible way the food we have, but we must vastl}' increase its quantity. 
No statesmanship can negotiate successfully the proposition that 
controlling a constantly decreasing pile of food is better than in- 
creasing the size of the pile. In the Senate recently. Senator War- 
ren G. Harding, of Ohio, said : 

Vast quantities of good farming land, near the best markets in the world, are 
not cultivated. In New England there are 30,000,000 acres of unused land 
that might be growing crops. There are 35,000,000 acres in the Middle States 
that might be farmetl, but which are lying idle. In the Pacific Coast States 
there are 100.000.000 acres of unused hut usable land. In all, 500,000,000 
acres or thereabouts are lying idle, to say nothing of that which is inadequately 
farmed. 

Mr. O. E. Baker, agriculturist, of the Department of Agriculture, 
says: 

Several years ago I estimated that the arable huid in the United States was 
about 935,000,000 acres. Subtracting from this the improved land, as given 
in the census of 1910, we have left 456,000.(M)0 acres of arable land yet unim- 
proved. Of this amount about 225,000,000 acres were in the Eastern States— 
that is, the States from Minnesota to Louisiana, inclusive, and eastward ; 
ul)out 122,000,000 in what might be termed " intermediate States " — that is, 
the tier of States from North Dakota to Texas; and about 100.000,000 acres 
were in the 11 Western States. 

These 500,000,000 idle acres constitute the greatest pro-German in- 
fluence in the United States. Economically we are working with one 
hand — we should get the other hand in action. This war is not a 
one-handed job. Special attention is called to the maps on pages 
H30, 340, and 342 in the Agricultural Department's booklet herewith. 



^\e urge that the Food Administration request the Secretaries^^ 
Agriculture and of Labor' to appoint a joint commission to: 

First. Investigate thp^ subject of idle land ; its quantity, quality, 
and availability for tl^e production of food. 

Second. The labor available to work the land. 

Third. To recommend ways and means of forcing this land into 
use. 

CONCLUSION. 

This committee firmly believes that educating the small slaugh- 
terer and retail butcher to eliminate waste and wasteful practices will 
conserve a vast amount of food, and that the subjects of refrigerator- 
car lines, stockyards, terminal railroads, and the vast areas of idle 
land are important factors in the present shortage and the abomi- 
nably high prices prevailing for food. The proper solving of these 
problems will make a permanent abundance of food which will be 
much loAver in price, more profitable to the raiser, to the manufac- 
turer, and naturally less burdensome to the ultimate consumer. 
Respectfully submitted. 

Butchers and Meat Dealers Economy Committee, 
By Report and Executive Committee, 
J. A. Whitfield. 
Roy Cohen. 

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